Closure for burial-vaults



CLOSURE FOR BURIAL VAULTS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27.1937.

htented May 6, 1919;

INVENTOR 6E Lil/1%,

ATTORNEY THEODORE IE. LUTZ, 0F GALION, OHIO.

CLOSURE FOR BURIAL-VAULTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1919.

Application filed April 27, 1917. Serial No. 164,981.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE E. Loan, a citizen of the United States,residing at Galion, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Closure for Burial'Vaults, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has reference to closures for burial vaults intended forsealing and locking grave vaults and the like, although the invention isalso adapted for closing various other openings than those leading intoa burial vault.

The object of the invention is to provide a closure or door which maybehermetically sealed by the act of closing the door, and which may or maynot be locked in the closed position against the possibility of opening,except by the use of force destructive to the door or vault, theinvention comprising certain constructions and combina tions hereinafterset forth.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with thefurther understanding that while the drawings show a practical form ofthe invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity withthe showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long assuch changes and modifications come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the rear face of the door orclosure, showing the vault in cross-section and the bolts projected.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the bolts retracted, the showingof Fig. 2 being less extensive than that of Fig. 1 and drawn on a largerscale.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 38 of Fig. 1 with some parts inelevation, but drawn on a larger scale, and'showing the parts beforemovement into the door clamping position.

Fig. 4i is a view similar to that of Fig. 3 with some parts in elevationand showing the locking members of the door in the door clampingposition.

Fig. 5 is a. face view of a master plate used in the door lockingmechanism, the view being of that side of the plate towardthe door.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line (i -6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a face view of the female member angle abutment strip 2 withone flange made fast to the vault by rivets 3 or otherwise, so that theother fiange ei of the strip is per pendicular to the walls of the vaultand constitutes an inset abutment, the strip 2 being located a shortdistance into the vault.

' There is also provided a door or closure 5 in the form of a plate ofsheet metal of such size as to fit easily into the mouth of the vaultand engage all about the edges against the web 4 of the strip 2, itbeing customary to interpose a gasket 6 between the door of the vaultand the abutment strip 2. Such gasket may be made of rubber or any otherdesirable material.

For reasons which will hereinafter appear, the door 5 is made ofmaterial of sufficiently light gage that when the door is clamped inplace it will bulge outwardly at the central portions and the materialis sui'ficiently elastic to tend to return to its initial flat conditionwhen relieved of the bulging pressure.

The top of the vault is usually more or less crowned, and intermediateof the width of the vault the top portion carries a hinged member 7 inwhich engages a companion hinge member 8 riveted or otherwise secured tothe door on the outer face thereof close to what constitutes the topedge of the door. The hinge member 7 in the particular showing of thedrawings rises above the top of the vault, and the hinge men'vber 8,which has eccentrically disposed pintles 9 thereon;

is lodged in elongated sockets 10 in the hinge member 7. By thisconstruction the door may be opened for entrance into the vault, andwhen closed may move bodily into the mouth of the vault for a sufiicientdistance to compress the packing 6.

At the central portion of the door there is provided a passage 11through which extends an elongated nut 12 having both interior andexterior screw threads, and also provided at one end with an outstandingflange 13 to abut against the inner face of the door. The nut 12, whichconstitutes the female member of the lock manipulating structure, has alock nut 11 applied to its exteriorly threaded portion at the partthereof which projects through the passage 11 to the outside of the doorplate. The nut 11 provides means whereby the female locking member maybe tightly clamped to the door, or may be loosened therefrom for apurpose which will presently appear. A packing washer 15, preferably oflead, is interposed between the nut 11 and the outer face of the doorand is of a size to effectively close the opening 11 when the nut 11 isscrewed tight. The female member 12 is continued beyond the flange 13for a short distance, and there is provided on its end face with aseries of radial notches 16. The flange 13 has a radial projection 17beyond the peripheral margin of the flange, and this projection 17carries a stud or in 18 parallel with the longitudinal axis 0 the member12. Furthermore, the flange 13 is formed with peripheral notches 19, ineither one of which a dog 20 may engage, such dog being on one end of aspring arm 21 mounted on a stud 22 projecting from the inner face of thedoor 5 and put under appropriate spring tension by a stop pin 23 alsoprojecting from the inner face of the door 5 in the path of the arm 21.The dog 20 serves to locate and temporarily hold the female member 12 indifferent positions about its longitudinal xis.

That end of the female member 12 remote from the flange 13 is providedwith diametrically opposite recesses 21 which are always exposed on theexterior of the door and are designed to receive a tool for turning themember 12.

Threaded through the member 12 is an exteriorly threaded screw rod 25constituting the male member of the lock manipulating structure. At whatconstitutes the outer end of the rod 25 is a squared portion 26 for theapplication of a turning tool, although it will be understood that themanipulating end of the rod 25 may be otherwise formed than as shown anddescribed. The rod 25 is of suflicient length to enter the vault beyondthe inner face of the door for aconsiderable distance, and terminates ina rounded axially extended portion 27' which passes through acorrespondi11g opening 28 in a. plate 29 serving as a master plate. Inorder to hold the master plate and rod together without interfering withthe turning of the rod 25 with respect to the master plate, the roundedportion 27 is traversed by a cotter pin 30 as a simple means for thepurpose. The master plate 29 is formed about the opening 28 with aseries of lugs 31 conforming in spacing and shape to the notches 16, andin the particular showing of the drawings both the notches 16 and lugs31 are shown as of V or triangular shape, although such particular shapeis not obligatory.

The master plate is provided with a circular series of radially extendedcars 32, each having a hole or passage 33 therethrough, and one or moreof these cars has, or may have, a lip 81 projecting therefrom for apurpose which will hereinafter appear.

Projecting through each passage 33 of the master plate is an angle nose35 on one end of a link 10 having the other end 11 bifurcated andstraddling the apex end of a triangular skeleton lock bolt 12 having abasic spread to include the greater portion of the top, bottom or sidesof the vault in accordance with the portion of the vault toward whichthe lock bolt is directed. The bifurcated end 11 is joined tothecorresponding portion of the lock bolt by a pivot11 which may be in theform of a rivet, and which together with the bifurcated end 11 makes thelink 10 substantially a part of the lock bolt, although hinged theretoand capable of transmitting to the lock bolt certain forces to which itis subjected. Each lock bolt 12 has at its basic end a series of lockingfingers 13 for projection into engagement with that face of the web 6 ofthe angle strip 2 remote from theclosure plate 5 when the latter is inclosing relation to the mouth of the vault. Each finger 13 projectsthrough a stud 11 having a slot 15 formed in it for the purpose. Theslot 15has a rounded wall 16 on which the finger 13 may rock. The stud11 is fixed to the plate 5 by an upset rivet extension 17, or in anyother suitable way. Each stud 11 is located close to the outer edge ofthe plate 5, but sufliciently spaced therefrom so that the studs, whichare on the inner face of the plate 5, may project into the vault. Thearrangement is such that the rounded walls'16 of the studs constitutefulcrum points for the lock bolts, so that when the bolts are rockedabout the fulcrum points 16 away from-theinner face of the-plate 5, theouter ends of the fingers 13 bearing against the inner face of the web 1will force the marginal portion of the plate 5 into tight relation tothe angle strip 2 with the gasket 6 intervening, wherefore there isproduced a hermetically sealed joint. Studs 18 are provided on the websof the skeleton lock bolts close to the lugs 44 to limit the movement ofthe lock bolts toward the plate 5 and prevent looseness of parts in suchposition.

To guide the lock bolts and constrain their movements on linesperpendicular to their long sides, other studs 49 are secured to andproject from the inner face of the plate 5 in position to extend throughelongated slots 50 in the apex portions of the lock bolts 42. Thesestuds are long enough to permit the rocking movements of the lock bolitsabout the walls 46 of the studs 44.

Pivoted to one of the lock bolts 42 near its apex end is a plate 50provided near one end with a longitudinal slot 51 having offset portions52 constituting notches. At the other end the plate 50 is provided witha recess 53 shaped to partially embrace a stud 49. A spring 54 has oneend made fast to the lock bolt 42 at a convenient point and the otherend 55 movable in the slot 51 and formed to engage in either of thenotches 52, the arrangement being such that when the spring 54 has itsend 55 in one of the notches 52, the recessed end 53 of the plate 50 isdrawn and held to one side of the corresponding stud 49, and when theend 55 of the spring 54 is in the other notch 52, the plate 50 hasimparted to it a tendency to rock so as to bring the recess 53 into suchrelation to the stud 49 as to engage the latter when the lock bolt isprojectedinto the locking position. The plate 50, which is intended toserve as a permanent holding device for the lock bolts when in theirprojected position, may be adjusted to either remain inactive or toautomatically secure the door in the permanently locked position againstremoval except by the employment of forces destructive to material partsof the structure.

WVhile a single locking device 50 has been shown as applied to one onlyof the lock bolts 42, it will be understood that more of these lookbolts may be used if desired.

To facilitate the manipulation of the door, a handle or handles 56 aremade fast to the outer face thereof at a convenient point.

When the locking mechanism for the door has the bolts 44 retracted, saidbolts are then in substantially parallel relation with the plate 5 andclose to it. This means that the screw rod 25 is in its position ofgreatest projection from the front face of the door, as shown in Fig. 3,thus bringing the lugs 31 into sea-ting relation to the notches 16 ofthe female member 12, which latter may be turned about its longitudinalaxis by a tool applied to the recesses 24, the nut 14 being at the timeloosened suliiciently for the purpose. At the sametime the lug or pin 18engages the master plate 29 between two adjacent projections 32. Theturning ofthe female member 12in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig.1, or counterclockwise direction as viewed from the front of the door,results in the withdrawal of the lock bolts to the position shown inFig. 2 with the dog 20 lodging in an appropriate one of the notches 19,thereby holding the parts temporarily in the assumed position.

Now with the door closed, the female member 12 may be rotated in theopposite direction, that is, in a clockwise direction as viewed from thefront of the door, or counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2, thus throughthe links 40 projecting the finger ends 43 of the lock bolts 42 over therear faces of the flanges 4, and locking the door closed, the dog 20yielding to such movement and ultimately engaging in the other notch 19to hold the parts in the new position against accidental displacement.This is a simple unlocking or locking of the door, so that access to thevault may be obtained at any time, but the vault is not sealedhermetically. To produce the hermetic sealing after the door is locked,the nut 14 is tightened, compressing the washer 15 against the outerface of the door, thus accomplishing the sealing at the opening 11. Now,by the application of a suitable tool to the end 26 of the screw rod 25,the latter is moved into the vault through the female member or nut 12,thereby forcing the master plate 29 inwardly away from the inner face ofthe door and rocking the lock bolts 42 upon the fulcrum supportsprovided for in the studs 44. During the initial part of this movementthe master plate is held from turning movements because of theengagement of the lugs 31 in the recesses 16 and the engagement of thepin or stud 18 between two projections 32 of the master plate, andconsequently the links 40 have no pulling action upon the lock bolts 42tending to retract them. The longitudinal movement of the screw rod 25may be continued until the packing gasket 6 is tightly compressed, thushermetically sealing the marginal portions of the door. Should it bedesirable to subsequently open the door, the described operations arereversed, the lock bolts are again brought into substantially parallelrelation to the door plate 5, and onloosening the nut 14 the femalemember 12 may be turned to retract the lock bolts. 1

' It is assumed that during these operations the plate 50 is constrainedto the inactive position by the proper placing of the spring 54. If itbe desired that the locking of the door in the hermetically sealedcondition shall be permanent, the spring 54 is adjusted W with relationto the plate 50 to constrain the recessed end 53 toward the adjacentguide pin 49. Thenwhen the lock bolts are projected the recessed end 53will snap into suitably embracing relation to the pin 49 to preventsubsequent retracting of the lock bolts. One such plate 50 will answerthe purpose, but to make the structure more resistant to any attempt toopen the door after being permanently locked closed, an additionalnumber of plates 50 may be provided.

The links 40 have strengthening ribs 57, and the lip 34 on the masterplate is so placed as to engage the ribbed portion of different links tolimit the rotative movement of the master plate in either direction.\Vhile the master plate is shown as having but one lip 34 it will beunderstood that a greater number of lips may be provided.

It will be further understood that whereever additional strength isdesired, the parts are provided with strengthening ribs.

By making the door plate 5 of more or less spring material pressure isapplied effectively to both sides of the packing gasket 6, since thedoor plate springs outwardly or bulges to some extent, and hencepressure is applied to the gasket over aconsiderable area, since themarginal portions of the door are held approximately parallel with theouter wall of the flange 4 due to the bulge of the door plate 5, theengage: ment of the fingers 43 with the inner face of the flange 4 andthe action of the fingers 43 on the fulcrum walls 46 of the lugs 44.

That is claimed is 1. A closure for the mouth of a vault or otherreceptacle having a substantially flat abutment web within the mouthopening, comprising a door of elastic sheet metal of relatively lightgage, said door being plane throughout and of a size to fit the dooropening and confine flat packing material against the abutment, lockbolts movable into and out of engaging relation to the inner face of theabutment, devices on the inner face of the door close to the web andengaged by and supporting the lock bolts, and means carried by the doorand engaging the latter solely at the mid-portion thereof and connectedto the lock bolts for moving them into and out of locking position andhaving means for rocking the lock bolts toward and from the inner faceof the door and clamp the latter against the abutment, said means at themid-portion of the door engaging the latter to cause it to bulgeoutwardly, whereby the door is elastically held against the web when thedoor is in the locked position.

2. A door closure for vaults and the like, having lock bolts on itsinner face, and means for actuating the lock bolts including aninteriorly and exteriorly threaded member projecting through the doorfrom the interior to the exterior thereof and frockable about an axisperpendicular to the face ofthe door, a lock nut on the threaded member,a threaded rod extending through the threaded member from the interiorto the exterior of the door and of a length to be moved axially throughthe threaded member for a distance, and connections between the threadedrod and the lock bolts and under the control of the threaded member forprojecting and retracting the lock bolts and rocking them toward andfrom the inner face of the door.

provided with means for the application of a manipulating tool, a masterplate carried by the inner end of the rod with the master plate andthreaded member having coacting interlocking portions, and connectionsbetween the master plate and the lock bolts for retracting andprojecting the latter by rotative movements of the master plate throughthe interlocking portions of the master plate and threaded member.

4. A closure for vaults and the like, comprising a door of a size toclose the mouth of the vault, lock bolts on the inner face of the door,an interiorly and exteriorly threaded member mounted on the door andprojecting from the interior to the exterior thereof and there providedwith an exterior lock nut, said threaded member being accessible at theexterior of the door for turning movements, a threaded rod extendingthrough the threaded member from the interior to the exterior of thedoor and at the outer end provided with means for the applicationof amanipulating tool, a master plate carried by the inner end of the rodwith the master plate and threaded member having coacting interlockingportions, and connections between the master plate and the lock boltsfor retracting and projecting the latter by rotative movements of themaster plate through the interlocking portions of the master plate andthreaded memher, the door having positioning means for the threadedmember to temporarily hold it at the limits of its rotative movements.

5. A closure for vaults and the like, comprising a door of a size toclose the mouth of the vault, lock bolts on the inner face of the door,an interiorly and exteriorly threaded member mounted on the door andprojecting from the interior to the exterior thereof and there providedwith an exterior lock nut, said threaded member being accessible at theexterior of the door for turning movements, a threaded rod extendingthrough the threaded member from the interior to the exterior of thedoor and at the outer end provided with means for the application of amanipulating tool, a master plate carried by the inner end of the rodwith the master plate and threaded member having coacting interlockingportions,.

and connections between the master plate and the lock bolts forretracting and projecting the latter by rotative movements of the masterplate through the interlocking portions of the master plate and threadedmember, the door having positioning means for the threaded member totemporarily hold it at the limits of its rotative movements, and themaster plate and connections with the lock bolts having coactingportions for limiting movements of the master plate in retracting andprojecting the lock bolts.

6. A closure for the mouths of vaults and the like, comprising a door,lock bolts on the door movable toward and from the marginal portionsthereof and extending to points adjacent to a mid portion of the door,

link connected to respective lock bolts, a

master plate connected to all the links, a

rotatable screw rod carrying the master plate and projecting through amid portion of the door to the exterior thereof for the application of amanipulating means, a swiveled screw threaded member mounted on the doorand projecting therethrough to the exterior thereof and traversed by thescrew rod, said threaded member being ac cessible from the exterior ofthe door for rocking it about its longitudinal axis, and a lock nut andpacking washer 011 the exposed portion of the threaded member forclamping it to the door, the threaded member and master plate havingcoacting portions for interlocking them when brought into engagement,whereby the threaded member may be turned to actuate the master plate toretract and project the locking bolts.

7. A closure for the mouths of vaults and the like, comprising a doorwith reciprocable and rockable lock bolts having guiding. means forconfining the reciprocatory movements of the lock bolts to substantiallystraight lines, devices on the door for actuating the lock bolts intheir reciprocatory movements and also for rocking the lock bolts, andlinks each pivoted at one end to the inner end of a lock bolt and at theother end to the actuating devices with the pivotal axes at the oppositeends of each link parallel one to the other, the links constituting thesole connections between the inner ends of the lock bolts and theactuating devices and the sole means for transmitting both thereciprocatory and the rocking move ments to the lock bolts.

8. A closure for the mouths of vaults and the like, comprising a door,reciprocable and rockable lock bolts on the inner face of the door withthe axes of rocking of the bolts substantially parallel with the innerface of the door, a connecting master plate com mon to all the lockbolts, a rockable member carried by and projecting through the door atthe middle portion thereof with the master plate and rockable memberhaving coacting parts for causing rocking move ments of the master plateby rocking move 'ments of the rockable member and the latter havingparts accessible from the exterior of the door for its manipulation, anda manipulating member threaded through the rockable member and connectedto the master plate for moving the latter and the lock bolts connectedto it toward and from the door.

9. A closure for the mouths of vaults, comprising a door withreciprocatory lock bolts, guide pins on the door for the bolts, andlocking means on a bolt comprising a rockable plate having an elongatedslot with terminal notches and extending on opposite sides of the axisof rocking of the plate, said plate also having one end movable into andout of engaging relation to a guide pin, and a spring fast at one end tothe lock bolt and at the other end movable in the elon gated slot of theplate from one notch to the other for constraining the plate to rock inone direction or the other in accordance with the position of thespring, whereby the plate may be held either in or out of engagingrelation with the guide pin with which it is associated.

10. A closure for the mouth ends of vaults or the like comprising a doorwith reciprocahis and rockable locking bolts on its inner face, andmanipulating means for the bolts comprising a connecting member commonto all of them, means for moving the connecting member toward and fromthe inner face of the door, and participating in such movement to rockthe lock bolts, and an actuating member for the connecting membermounted and rotatable on the door and held by the door against movementtoward and from the latter to move the connecting member in a directionto withdraw or project the bolts, and also carrying the means for movingthe connecting member toward and from the inner face of the door.

11. A closure for a vault or the like having an inset abutment at itsmouth end, comprising a door of a size to enter the mouth of the vaultand engage the abutment, and a hinge support for the door comprising ahinge member rising from the top of the vault at the mouth end andprovided with facing sockets spaced apart and el0ngated in the directionof the length of the vault, and another hinge member fast to and risingabove the top of the door, the second-named hinge member havingoppositely projecting pintles spaced forwardly of the plane of the doorand entering and movable lengthwise of the elongated sookets, wherebythe door may be 10 moved on the hinge to the open position and as myown, I have hereto aifixed my signa- 15 ture in the presence of twowitnesses.

THEODORE E. LUTZ. itnesses F. C. MOGAUGHY, CLEO CoNNoLLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

